The enactment of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 marked a critical moment in American healthcare history. The ACA introduced Medicaid expansion, a policy designed to extend healthcare coverage to a larger population of low-income Americans. This policy quickly became a topic of debate and led to...
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States resulted in fluctuating patterns in behavioral health service utilization and a rapid, unprecedented expansion of telehealth service delivery. The Medicaid population may have faced unique challenges in this environment, particularly with telehealth services, given the usability, technology, and reliable connectivity for such services...
This work examines the effects of economic growth and energy consumption on CO2 emissions in Idaho for the period between 1998-2020. An econometric analysis is used for this purpose.
Additionally, this study uses the Kaya equation to measure the impact of the growth rate from Gross Domestic Product per capita,...
Few river systems in the world are under equal or more stress than Southeast(SE) Asia’s Mekong River. Several factors threaten the Mekong as the riparian states of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam jockey for position within its geopolitical sphere. Climate change, globalization,industrialization, urbanization, economic growth, and hydro-hegemony...
Reports, both anecdotal and empirical, indicate a rise in anti-Asian sentiments, including hate crimes, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase of such discrimination and hate may be attributed to negative perceptions of the origins of the COVID-19 virus. During the pandemic, the use of stigmatizing language, such...
This study examines healthcare policy preferences of Oregon State University students through the lens of Political Culture Theory, as pioneered by Mary Douglas and Aaron Wildavsky in the 1980’s. The primary goal of this study is to examine the impact of cultural traits as described by Political Culture Theory on...
In order to mitigate climate change and increase sustainability, many states and nations have introduced policies intended to support the growth of renewable energy sources. Among these sources, wind energy has risen most prominently in the 21st century. However, its rise has been accompanied by various constraints and by local...
Few river systems in the world are under equal or more stress than Southeast (SE) Asia’s Mekong River. Several factors threaten the Mekong as the riparian states of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam jockey for position within its geopolitical sphere. Climate change, globalization, industrialization, urbanization, economic growth,...
The Philippines’ labor export system is a complex web of policy instruments that have been amended, repealed, and refined over the last four decades. The laws along with the hortatory tools used to promote them have shaped the lives of millions of Filipinos, separating families across oceans. Temporary labor migration,...
Many skilled immigrants suffer from the nonrecognition of their foreign professional credentials within the US labor market. As such, they are often forced to accept employment in fields that do not make full use of their skills. Consequently, foreign trained professionals are underrepresented in the upper segments of the American...
Some critics claim that President Trump has downplayed the risks of coronavirus at the onset of the pandemic, describing it merely as flu at a time when other administrative officials in the CDC and HHS were warning of a very grave future with the virus and implored quick action. The...
Rarely does an industry touch each citizen’s everyday life while simultaneously garnering such little public attention as the energy industry does. From the fuel powering our vehicles to the energy flowing into our homes powering our laptops, TV’s and lights the energy industry enables our modern lifestyles, but this is...
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal nutrition assistance program in the US aiming at improving health and nutrition among low-income individuals and households. SNAP is a means tested program that provides monthly cash benefits to eligible households and individuals whose assets and net monthly incomes are...
Renewable energy is on the rise in the U.S. Additional efforts will be required to integrate intermittent and decentralized sources of energy into the electrical grid. Given that storing large amounts of electricity is not yet available at a reasonable cost, electric grid operators must match supply and demand at...
In 2011 the California State University (CSU) system’s overall four-year graduation rate was 16 percent, which is far below the national rate of 26 percent among similar institutions. In response to the low graduation rate, the California legislature passed 2 statutory bills meant to further expand access, while improving college...
This essay provides an assessment of the human, social and financial resources that Oregon Latino immigrant-serving nonprofits have available to achieve their mission of promoting Latino immigrant integration and civic engagement practices. Under the framework of immigrant integration, this study examines the strategies Latino nonprofits rely upon to achieve their...
As climate change forces energy policy to incorporate environmental impacts and fuel diversification into the traditional model of energy security, finding ways to site, develop, and deliver renewable energy has taken on increasing importance across the United States. With no consistent federal framework to implement these changes, much of the...
Over 90 percent of the soy, cotton, and corn sold in the United States are genetically modified crops (GM crops). However, there was a 209 percent growth in USDA certified organic food from 2005-2015, reflecting a growing interest in non-GMO food. The policy debate over GM crops takes place between...
Kuwait has undergone dramatic political and economic transformations over the past century. From the rapid transition to an oil-based economy in the 1940s to the unexpected Iraqi invasion in 1990, change has been constant. While much of the focus has been on the economy and society, it is also true...
Community visioning processes offer communities the platform to identify common goals, indicate actions and measures of progress, and envision what they would like their political, economic, and social landscape to look like for years to come. Rural communities often face unique obstacles in terms of isolation, lack of resources and...